Democracies across the globe are in decline as internal political actors weaken civil rights and diminish the independence of core institutions, including the university. Of course, it is important to defend academic freedom in the face of such attacks. Yet we also need to think carefully about what this freedom means.
In this talk, Adam Briggle distinguishes three kinds of academic freedom: 1. Protective (freedom from power); 2. Critical (freedom to speak truth to power); and 3. Constitutive (freedom to cultivate democratic power). He argues that the third kind is now the most important, and that this highlights the vital role of the humanities for democracies.
This open lecture is part of the series Research just around the corner.
